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Dove Yellow Beachhead
Dove Yellow was the codename of one of the landings executed by the Imperial Armed Forces during dawn on the 3rd January ERA 10-24, as part of Operation Composure - the opening stage of the First Norzic-Imperial War. Operation Composure was a large-scale invasion of South Zicia, which had been in effect since the 1st January. The southern coast of the country was split into various zones of control, or beachheads, codenamed after colours - Task Force Yellow was concentrated on the west side of the Sibyu River, in a marshy region known as Comchu. Location Comchu is a coastal province of South Zicia, lying to the west of the symbolic Sibyu River, which runs the entire length of the Zician nation. A mostly rural area, Comchu is populated with many smaller communities, with the largest town of Neymal being considerably smaller than other county-level "cities" of South Zicia. The terrain around this area is a mixture of fresh and saltwater swamps layering the beaches, with many islands littered adjacent to the coastline. Comchu is considered to be quite picturesque, and is a popular destination for visiting workers and their families. Soldiers, however, find posting to this area mundane due to the lack of modern transport infrastructure and local entertainment. When the North Zicians began fortifying the southern coast after their successful invasion of South Zicia, they considered the Comchu region of lesser importance than other areas. While the many bays in the area made the amphibious landing of troops easy, the difficult terrain and lack of well-developed roads out of the area would deter attacks in the rural parts of the province. Instead, several key strong points near transport hubs and ports were identified as desirable insertion areas for the Imperials, and subsequently reinforced. Course of Battle Sector Yellow of the Operation Composure plan covered some 96 miles of coastline - a distance more that twice as long than some sectors involved in the operation. Task Force Yellow's job was to secure the western flank of Task Force Green as they rapidly advanced north along the Sibyu river, and also assist in any encirclement actions made possible by Task Force Red and Blue, respectively. In order to support both Beachheads as well as securing the wide area that was sector Yellow, a large number of troops were assigned to the operation. Along Sector Yellow, there were seven main landing sites. Listed from east to west, they were codenamed Crow, Dove, Eagle, Falcon, Hawk, Puffin and Rooster. The landing at Dove was made at approximately 06:30, with elements of the 4th Marine Division landing in a cove area named Ghantian. Encountering no resistance, the first assault wave began to widen the perimeter while the rest of the division was assembled on the shore. Getting troops and equipment off the transports was difficult due to the terrain, with helicopters unable to land on the soft mud surrounding the beaches. Within the next couple of hours, Imperial Marines moved north-east, captusring a small village on the edge of a rice field. Additional troops advanced through the jungle, arriving at an island old fortification in the interior of the bay. At 08:00, while about to leave the fortress across a series of rope bridges, they ran head first into pathfinder elements of a Norzic Regular Army unit, making their way west to assist in repelling the main Beachhead Yellow attacks around objectives Eagle, Falcon and Hawk. The surprised Imperials, despite being outnumbered, were well protected inside the fort and managed to inflict high casualties upon the mutually surprised Norzics, who were extremely exposed as they crossed rope bridges and waded through knee high water on the lower ground leading up to the fort. Meanwhile, in the village, the Imperial observation post was attacked with armoured units and overrun, forcing them to retreat to the beaches. With the previously unknown landing site now dramatically revealed, a division strength formation of troops lay siege to the Imperials, who had to unload troops and equipment under heavy fire. With both sides lacking in large-scale air support, the fighting was concentrated in the flooded marshes of the bay. Norzics attacked in raids from both the village-based land route and in combined-arms charges through the waters of the cove, in an effort to whittle down the Imperial strength. Although exposed on the beaches, the Imperials managed to ward off attacks thanks to the positions held on island fortress - helicopters had airlifted in heavy machine guns and mortars to strengthen the position. For a day, the Marines held their ground and continued to offload men and materiel before the Norzics withdrew. Deciding to bypass Dove Yellow and continue on to their original objectives. The troops of Dove Green, who had instructed to protect the east flank of the main assault, pursued the Norzic division. A unit of infantry, light armour and attack helicopters were assembled from the landed troops, who advanced along the coastline after the norzics. In the village, Imperial mortar and anti-tank rocket fire managed to cause heavy damage to the Norzic real guard, and infantry secured the town. As they repelled armoured counterattacks from the south, the Imperial IFVs continued along the road, storming through a jungle clearing where the rallying Norzics were gathered in strength, waiting to move out. Although the Imperial armour suffered heavy losses, they, in addition to mortar fire from the island, managed to rout heavily exposed Norzic forces, who broke ranks in all directions. Many escaped east through the jungle, while those that fled towards the bay were wiped out as they ran across the open beaches into intense fire. By evening on the 4th, the battle was over. By the 6th of January, the main strike concentrated around Falcon Yellow achieved a breakout, signalling the rest of Task Force Yellow to start advancing north. This was difficult for the troops around Dove Yellow, as the dense marshy terrain that the Norzics had predicted the Imperials would avoid, proved to be a huge obstacle in the next few weeks. However, a major foothold had been achieved, with the Marines of Dove Yellow securing the vital flank of said foothold, despite great cost. Category:Premier Timeline